Arup is an international firm providing multidisciplinary engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services. Created to combine technical skill with architectural thinking, the company has participated in architecture and infrastructure projects around the world and is widely recognised for its role in challenging and innovative structures.

History and organisation

Arup was founded by Sir Ove Arup and colleagues in 1946. Originally known as Ove Arup & Partners, it developed from a small practice into a network of offices and specialist teams operating across continents. The firm is owned in a trust-like structure intended to preserve long-term independence and professional standards. Today it employs thousands of staff across dozens of countries and maintains a mix of engineers, designers, planners, consultants and specialists.

Services and specialties

Arup offers a wide range of professional services. These include:

  • Engineering: structural, civil, geotechnical, building services and specialist engineering disciplines.
  • Design: architectural services, façade engineering, acoustic and lighting design.
  • Planning and masterplanning, project management, sustainability and resilient-design consultancy.
  • Digital engineering, modelling, and performance analysis to support complex projects.

Notable projects and contributions

Arup has been associated with many prominent projects where its engineering solutions were essential to realising ambitious architectural concepts. Representative projects include:

  • Sydney Opera House — early structural design work that helped solve the complex geometry of the shells.
  • Oresund Bridge — an international link combining road and rail across a long sea crossing.
  • HSBC headquarters, Hong Kong — working with architects on a distinctive, modular steel building.
  • De Young Museum — collaboration on structural and environmental strategies for a museum building.
  • Pompidou Centre, Channel Tunnel Rail Link and London Millennium Bridge — examples where Arup provided engineering input, problem-solving and later remedial measures (for example, stabilising pedestrian-induced vibrations on the Millennium Bridge).
  • Seattle Central Library and other civic and cultural buildings worldwide.

Approach and impact

Arup is known for integrating engineering with architectural intent, assembling interdisciplinary teams to address technical, environmental and social requirements. The firm emphasises performance-based design, sustainability and innovation — using analysis, prototyping and building science to reduce risk and improve long-term performance. Its work spans transport, energy, buildings, water and digital infrastructure, and it often contributes to research, guides and tools that influence industry practice.

While Arup is widely respected for high-profile landmark projects, the firm's portfolio also includes infrastructure, urban planning and consultancy services that support everyday functionality and resilience in cities and systems around the world. For further reading about the firm’s disciplines and project examples see general information on engineering, design and historical context starting from its founding in 1946. Additional case studies and project pages reference the Sydney Opera House (link), the Oresund Bridge (link), the De Young Museum (link) and the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong (link).